Women@Work 2024: Creating a Safe Space to Talk about Mental Wellness at Work
Panelists at the 2024 Women@Work summit discuss imposter syndrome and other workplace issue that affect women's mental wellness in the workplace.
Women aren't the only ones who face challenges at work. But some issues — like pay inequity, imposter syndrome, discrimination, underrepresentation and the effort it takes to climb the corporate ladder — affect women differently. These challenges can take a toll on mental wellness and impact physical health, relationships and career development.
In a recent Deloitte report, 48% of women said they were concerned or very concerned about their mental health. Moreover, they said their stress levels were higher this year than last. They didn't feel their employers provided the mental health support needed but weren't comfortable discussing those needs at work.
To create a safe space for women to discuss mental wellness, ADP recently held a meetup as part of the Women@Work virtual summit. During the session, HR leaders and industry experts candidly discussed strategies for addressing common emotional and psychological challenges that women face in the workplace.
Moderator Rah Kalon, emotional intelligence consultant and emotional health coach at LifeCare, joined panelists Amy Freshman, SHRM-SCP senior director, global HR at ADP, Ann Shoket, CEO and owner of The Li.st, and Michele Ellis-Williams, founder and CEO at Michele Lee Ellis Consulting for a lively session discussion. Here are a few highlights from the conversation.
Unmasking the imposter
The panelists agreed that imposter syndrome — the feeling that you don't belong or aren't worthy of your role — is one of the biggest obstacles women face at work.
"People are reluctant to step into a conversation with the thought of 'Am I capable of adding to this conversation? Does my information count? '" Freshman points out.
Shocket notes that this feeling is nearly as common among men as women, but as men gain more senior roles, they feel more supported while women feel less. "We just did research that found 80% of women in corporate jobs are lonely because of their jobs," Shoket says. "That loneliness … undermines a sense of self and belonging." It can discourage women from seeking jobs with more power if those positions appear to be increasingly unsupported and isolated.
Whose job is it to address imposter syndrome? Everyone's, Shoket says. "All of us have a responsibility to tackle the big picture of loneliness in the workplace," she adds.
Joint effort needed to address imposter syndrome
Williams suggests that organizations can help women defeat imposter syndrome by creating peer relationship groups. It creates a way for people can get and give advice alongside others experiencing the same situations.
"It's a place where you can be authentic, without judgment," Williams explains, adding that employee assistance programs and other company resources are also helpful. Freshman added that company recognition programs are another tool for building a community and ensuring women colleagues feel seen and appreciated.
Women can also develop a support system to help their mental wellness, Shoket says. Aim to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed, who will share important information and who will see you as you are. Along with this external support, they also should look inside and give themselves permission to be successful, Williams added. Many women have self-limiting beliefs or are afraid of wins.
Kalon points out that tackling imposter syndrome can mean rewiring the brain. Her advice is to start by realizing the impact of feelings on your thoughts and actions.
"If we can start paying closer attention to what feeling made me think these thoughts, which turned into a belief system that determined what I feel can and cannot do, then let me rewind the tape," Kalon explains. Following the trail backward to see how behaviors came from thoughts can reveal a limited way of thinking.
"As we rewire our processing, we can open infinite possibilities," Kalon says.
Creating a community for mental wellness
Freshman said that solving the challenges women face at work takes more than a quick fix. Acknowledging that issues exist is a step in the right direction. While the solutions for improving mental wellness at work may be complex, these simple actions can build individual and organizational communities to combat challenges like imposter syndrome and loneliness:
- Adopt micro habits to build relationships. Calling, texting or emailing coworkers to check in, scheduling coffee dates with colleagues or walking around the office for brief conversations counters loneliness.
- Find or be a cultivator. These are the people in the organization who are natural gatherers and skilled at connecting others.
- Ask for help when you need support. It's natural to think you're the only one who feels the way you do, but there almost certainly are others. Also take the initiative check on those who seem strong because they may be hesitant to ask for assistance.
"If each of us could take ownership and understand that when you focus on your mental health, it will help you in every aspect of your life, so look at it as a strength, not a weakness," Williams says.
For more of this and other conversations on redefining the workforce of tomorrow, check out ADP's 2024 Womena@Work virtual summit, available on demand.
For more information about Shoket's 10 Minutes to Togetherness Research and to download the tool kit, go to 10minutestotogetherness.com.
